Electrical high speed printer



Aug. 26, 1969 A. a LEVINE ELECTRICAL HIGH SPEED PRINTER Filed May 12, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 PAPER RATCHE DRIVE KEY BOARD COLUN N TYPE POSITION PJLSE COU I TER PL LSE COUNTER FIQI INVEN TOR ALFRED B. LEVINE ATTORNEYS Aug. 26, 1969 A. BJ'LEVINE ELECTRICAL HIGH SPEED PRINTER Filed May 12, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR. ALFRED B. LEVINE ATTORNBKS A. B- LEVINE ELECTRICAL HIGH SPEED PRINTER Aug. 26, 1969 DRIVE 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

RKJHT MARGI N Filed May 12, 1967 RATCHET C LUMN 5E 'CT PISA . R m E U D FIGS INVEN TOR. ALFRED B. LEVINE ATTORNEYS United States Patent U.S. Cl. 101-93 15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electronically controlled printing apparatus or typewriter operated by a keyboard or coded record and having a minimum of moving parts including a constantly moving endless type belt or otherwise shaped record traversing a stationery sheet of paper. In a preferred construction, the printing is performed serially by rnductively displacing preselected type on the moving belt against the paper by pulsing a magnetic field located at the selected column of the paper to recelve pnnt 1n synchronism with the positioning of the preselected type on the belt to be printed at that column. This time and position synchronization is controlled electronically by detecting a symbol position code on the moving type belt and electronically triggering the generation of the magnetic field at the proper time and position using electronic logic circuitry. The printer provides electronically controlled backspacing, indenting, and recycling as well as visually indicating each succeeding column on the print receiving paper to be typed for providing assistance to a manual operator. A plurality of interchangeable type belts are provided for rapidly changing the kind, style, language, (or pictorial symbols to be pr1nted, and each type belt is preferably formed of a light weight plastic base member supporting nonmagnetic, electrically conductive printed circuits in the configuration of the symbols to be printed and carrying a digital position coding adjacent each of the symbols for synchronization purposes. Electronically controlled right hand and left hand margin setting is also provided to enable an operator or program to adjustably set these margins.

This invention relates to printing apparatus and more particularly to high speed printers having a minlrnum of moving parts and controlled by electronic loglc circuitry.

It is accordingly a principal object of the invention to provide a very high speed electronically controlled versatile printer or typewriter provided with a complete library of interchangeable type or symbols in the form of lightweight plastic records carrying printed circuit symbols.

A further object is to provide such a printing apparatus wherein the symbols are serially printed from a constantly moving record and are precisely synchronized 1n time and position by electronic logic circuitry.

Another object is to provide such a printer having electronic circuitry that responds to digital coding on a constantly moving type carrier for automatically and precisely printing a preselected symbol at a preselected position.

A further object is to provide such a printer incorporating electronically controlled spacing, backspacing and margin setting.

Other objects and additional advantages will be more readily understood by those skilled in the printing arts after a detailed consideration of the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an electrical schematic illustration showing a preferred printing apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of a similar printing ap- 3,463,081 Patented Aug. 26, 1969 c CC paratus employing a different manner of synchronizing the printing.

FIG. 3 is an electrical schematic illustration showing a preferred column selecting counter incorporating left hand and right hand margin setting.

FIG. 4 is an electrical schematic illustration showing an alternative embodiment for simultaneous printing of all columns, and

FIG. 5 illustrates a further modification for automatically operating the printer by a coded input record.

Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred printing system employs a constantly moving endless type belt 10 carrying serially arranged symbols or characters 11 spaced along its length together with a digital symbol code 12 associated with each symbol 11, and a timing code 13 associated with each character or symbol 11, as shown. The type belt is disposed adjacent to but spaced from a stationary print receiving member 14, such as a sheet of paper, and in constantly moving, each symbol or character 11 on the belt serially traverses a line across the paper 14 in a linear movement. At the rear surface of the belt 10 is provided a conventional ink carrying ribbon (not shown) or the type belt 10 itself may be impregnated with or provided with a layer of ink carrying material on its underside.

For serially printing the preselected symbols on the paper 14, the apparatus includes a plurality of stationary magnetic induction windings 16 disposed in a linear equally spaced array in the path of the symbols on the belt and closely adjacent to but spaced from the front surface of the belt. Each of the stationary coils 1.6 is located at a fixed position or column with respect to the paper 14 and facing the front side of the belt so that the moving belt 10 and ink carrying ribbon are disposed between the induction coils 16 and the paper 14.

As disclosed in an earlier filed application Ser. No. 304,176, filed Aug. 23, 1963, now abandoned, induction printing is performed by subjecting a nonmagnetic elec trically conducting symbol, such as symbol 11, to a changing magnetic field, as produced by pulsing an induction coil 16. This induces a circulating current in the conducting symbol 11 that propulsively reacts with the magnetic field producing it to repel the symbol 11 away from the coil 16 and against the ink carrying ribbon and paper 14 to print the symbol on the paper. Consequently the only moving parts in the preferred embodiment of the present invention are the moving belt and ribbon, which are preferably extremely lightweight as may be provided by a thin layer of printed electrical circuit characters or symbols supported on a thin flexible belt of Mylar or other suitable nonconducting plastic.

For preselecting the symbols to be serially printed across the page .14, a keyboard 17 is provided and supplied with manually operable keys 18, corresponding to each symbol 11, 'as in a typewriter, together with additional keys and controls 71 and 72 for electrically controlled spacing, back spacing, skipping lines and the like. A pair of multiple position switches 19 and 20 are also provided for electronically setting the right and left hand margins, as will be described hereafter.

According to the invention a completely electronic control mechanism is provided for selectively energizing the induction coils 16 in a predetermined serial order synchronized with the proper positioning or phasing of the moving type belt 10 so as to serially print preselected symbols in the proper columns on the paper 14.

For synchronizing the printing upon the proper positioning of the preselected type with the selected column on the paper to receive the print, the system employs a pair of fixed detectors or transducers 21 and 22 that serially read each of the digital codes 12 and timing marks 13 on the belt, for each complete revolution of the belt past these detectors. These detectors enable the constantly Changing position of any one of the preselected symbols 11 on the moving belt 10 to be determined and accordingly enable an electronic logic system to energize or pulse a proper one of the fixed induction coils 16 when the preselected symbol is located at a desired column on the paper 14 to receive the printed symbol.

Thus the printing system of the present invention is almost entirely electronic, with no moving parts for printing a complete line of symbols on the paper, other than a constantly rotating type belt 10 and ink ribbon, and the manual or programmed selection of the proper keys 18 to select the message to be printed. The manual keyboard 17 may, of course, be replaced or used in conjunction with a code reader to read and reproduce data on a punched record, magnetic recording or other so as to automatically print a prerecorded message or communication having programmed composing.

The electronic control system for selectively energizing the magnetic induction coils 16 according to the preselections in the keyboard 17 or coded input and the detectors 21 and 22, preferably comprises a multistage column selecting pulse counter 23 of a conventional nature, having a number of serially interconnected individual stages, with the number of stages corresponding to the number of coils 16. Each of the counter stages has an output line 33 connected to energize a different one of the magnetic induction coils 16 through a separate gate or switch 24. This counter 23 receives input pulses over line 34 in response to each operation of any symbol key 18 on the keyboard 17 and each such pulse successively steps the counter to its next stage which thereupon applies a predetermined voltage potential to the output line 33 from that stage while the output lines 33 from all other stages are at a different potential. Thus for each actuation of a key on the keyboard 17, the column selecting pulse counter 23 is stepped to a different position, or column, to prepare or prime each succeeding one of the magnetic induction coils 16 in sequence, thereby to condition the printer mechanism to print a symbol or character 11 only at that selected column on the paper 14. The switches 24 are normally in open condition, so that the energization of a particular stage of the counter does not immediately apply energization to its corresponding magnetic induction coil 16 but merely primes or readies the application of energy to that coil.

For visually indicating each succeeding position on the paper 14 to receive a printed symbol, a series of fixed light bulbs 25 are provided linearly spaced adjacent the paper 14, with each light bulb connected to the output line from a different stage of the column selecting pulse counter 23, as shown. Each light is adapted to illuminate a different column. Thus as each stage of the pulse counter 23 is stepped by the operation of the keyboard, the light bulb 25 associated with that column is illuminated to display the column on the paper 14 that is adapted to receive a printed symbol.

As noted above, the type belt 10 is constantly rotating, carrying each of the symbols in a traversing movement across the front of the paper 14 and therefore it is necessary to energize the primed coil 16 to print the preselected symbol at that column only when the preselected type 11 is momentarily located or synchronized at this desired position. When the preselected symbol 11 on the moving type belt 10 reaches the position of the fixed detector 21, its associated code 12 is read by the detector 21 and compared with a corresponding code for that same symbol that has been previously inserted in a matrix 26 by operation of the preselected key 18 in the keyboard 17. Since these codes correspond, a comparator circuit 43 energized by both the matrix 26 and detector 21 applies a pulse to a gate 27 to interconnect the timing detector 22 with a multistage type position counter 28. Thereafter as the type belt 10 continues to move at its constant speed, a pulse is produced by detector 22 for each equal distance traveled by the belt 10 and each such pulse is applied to the type position pulse counter 28 to step this counter from stage to stage. Each stage of the type position pulse counter 28 is provided with an output line 35 that energizes a gate 31 which also receives energization from a corresponding stage of the column pulse counter 23 over line 32. Thus when the preselected symbol 11 on the type belt 10 reaches the desired column corresponding to the primed induction coil 16, the corresponding gate 31 is energized by the stages of both counters 23 and 28 to produce a pulse over the gate output line 37 that closes the appropriate switch 24 interconnecting the magnetic induction coil 16 with the output line 33 from the column pulse counter 23. This energized one of the magnetic induction coils 16 provides an induction field at that column, inducing current in the preselected symbol 11 and printing that symbol on the sheet 14.

Thus, the column selecting pulse counter 23 selects or primes each of the coils 16 in sequence in response to each manual selection made by the keyboard 17 and accordingly determines the column on the paper 14 to receive the next printed character or symbol. The type position selecting pulse counter 28 on the other hand responds to the actual position of the preselected type or symbol 11 on the belt and determines when that symbol is located at the correct position or column to be printed. At this time, the combination of column pulse counter 23 and type position counter 28 operates a gate 31 to close the switch 24 thereby energizing the primed magnetic induction coil 16 to effectuate a printing of the preselected type at the preselected column on the paper 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the column selecting pulse counter 23 is provided with a number of stages 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d corresponding to the maximum number of columns (or symbols) to be printed on each line. These stages are preferably connected in an endless chain with the output of the last stage 23d being connected backwardly to the first stage 23a over line 81, in a manner commonly known as an endless ring counter circuit. In this manner, when the last stage 23a of the counter has been energized to preselect the last column for printing, the counter 23 recycles in response to the next pulse from the keyboard 17 to again energize the first stage 23 of the counter and start a new line of printing.

After each line of printing has been completed, the energization of the last stage also energizes a gate circuit (FIG. 1) leading to a ratchet drive mechanism 66, of conventional design, for automatically advancing the paper 14 to receive the next line of printing. However this gate 65 is not closed at this time to advance the paper until the symbol in the final column of the paper has been printed. This occurs when the final magnetic induction coil 16 in the line is energized, whereupon the closing of the last switch 24 energizes gate 65 through an isolating diode 69 to close the gate 65 and advance lthe ratchet mechanism 66 to advance the paper by one If it is desired to independently advance the paper by more than one line, this can be performed by manually turning a platen (not shown) supporting the paper 14, as in a conventional typewriter; or a paper advance key 106 ma be depressed on the keyboard 17 to independently energize line 76 leading to the ratchet mechanism 66 to electrically advance the paper in steps by one line for each actuation of key 106.

For indenting a line or spacing between printed symbols, a space key 71 is provided on the keyboard 17. Referring to FIG. 2, depression of this space key 71 closes a switch to energize line 34 to pulse the column selecting counter 23 through a diode 73 and advance it by one stage in the same manner as depressing any of the symbol keys 18. The stepping of counter 23 primes the next succeeding magnetic induction coil 16 and skips a space between the preceding printed symbol and the next succeeding symbol to be printed. For each actuation of the space key 71 the column selecting pulse counter 23 is advanced to the next stage so that any number of spaces may be inserted in a particular line according to the number of times the space key 71 is actuated, with the same result as would be obtained mechanically on a conventional typewriter.

Similarly, a back space key 72 is provided on the keyboard to shift the counter 23 backwardly to a previous column. This is performed by using a reversible ring counter 23 of the type that is shifted backwardly by applying a negative pulse to the counter, while shifting it forwardly by applying a positive pulse to the counter. Since reversible ring counters of this type, and other types, are well known and are widely available on the open market, a more detailed disclosure of such counters is considered unnecessary herein.

As shown in FIG. 2, a preferred form of the keyboard 17 may comprise merely a series of single pole switches, each actuated by a different keyboard button, such as buttons 18, 71, and 72 as shown. One contact of each of these switches is connected to a potential source of voltage and the other contact is connected through an isolating diode 73 to line 34 leading to the input of the column selecting counter 23. Actuation of any one of these keys, therefore, closes its associated switch to apply a voltage pulse to the counter 23 and advances the counter by one stage, or shifts it backwardly by one stage. All of the symbol keys 18 and the space key 71 apply a positive pulse to the counter 23 for each depression to advance it one stage, whereas the back space key 72 applies a negative pulse to shift the counter backwardly by one stage for each depression. Thus the manual operator can electrically shift forward any number of spaces or backwardly any number of spaces merely by repetitively actuating the desired one of the space key 71 or back space key 72.

The symbol keys 18 on the other hand do more than advance the column selecting counter 23 for each depression, and, in addition, energize the matrix 26 (shown in greater detail in FIG. 2) to establish a digital code corresponding to the symbol that has been preselected. Thus for example depressing the A symbol key energizes a pair of resistors 74 in the matrix 26 to selectively energize lines 101 and 102 and provide an output binary code 1010 corresponding to the letter A. This code is applied to the comparator circuit 43 which also responds to a code received from the detector as it reads the codes 40 on the moving type belt 10. When this detector reads a similar code 40 on the moving type belt corresponding to the letter A, the comparator circuit 43 notes the coincidence between the two codes and energizes a gate circuit 44 to permit printing of the letter A, as discussed above.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 differs from that of FIG. 1 in providing a plurality of detectors 41 each associated with a different one of the magnetic induction coils 16, instead of using a single detector 21, a single timing code detector 22, and a type position pulse counter 28 as shown in FIG. 1.

When a type code is read by the detector 41 corresponding to the preselected symbol entered into the keyboard, the comparator circuit 43 directly closes the gate 44, and if this gate 44 has been selected by the column selecting counter 23, the closing of the gate 44 immediately energizes the magnetic induction coil 16 to print the symbol 11. It will be appreciated that in FIG. 2, a single matrix 26 and a single keyboard 17 are employed, as in FIG. 1, but a different detector 41, amplifier 42, and comparator circuit 43 are used for each of the induction coils 16. Thus each detector 41 and its associated circuit determines when the preselected symbol on the moving belt is properly positioned in the correct column and operates its gate 44 to print this preselected symbol 11.

For electronically controlling the setting of the right and left hand margins on the paper 14 to be printed, two multiposition switches 19 and 20 are provided on the keyboard 17, with the switch 19 controlling the setting of the left hand margin and the switch 20 controlling the setting of the right hand margin. Both functions are performed by employing these switches to vary the interconnections bet-ween the stages of the column selecting counter 23 in the manner shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 3, an endless ring counter 23 of the type described includes a series of individual stages 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d, each of which is essentially an on-ofi switch such as a known flip-flop circuit, a silicon controlled rectifier switch or other known counting stage. For endless chain ring counting operations, the output line of each stage is connected to the input line of the next stage, in a serial concatenated fashion, and the output line of the last stage is fed back over line 81 to the input line of the first stage. In operation, the pulses to be counted are fed to all stages together over line 34 and each succeeding pulse operates to extinguish the stage that is conducting and to render the next succeeding stage conducting in a serial fashion. As discussed above, an output line 33 leading from each stage is also connected to condition or prime a different one of the magnetic induction coils 16, whereby each of such coils 16 is primed in sequence as the counter is stepped from stage-to-stage by succeeding depressions of the keys on the keyboard 17.

For setting the left hand margin, the keyboard selector 19 positions a multiposition switch having a movable con- .tact and a series of fixed contacts 82, 83, and 84. The movable contact 80 is connected to the feedback line 81 of the counter leading from the output line of a later stage to the input line of an earlier stage. The first fixed contact 82 of this switch is connected to the input line of the first counter stage 23a, the second fixed contact 83 is connected to the input line of the second counter stage 23b and the third fixed contact 84 is connected to the input line of the third counter stage 230. Thus, when the switch 1'9 is in its first position, the feedback line 81 is directed to the input line of the first stage 23a, whereas when it is in its second position, this first stage 23a is by-passed or eliminated and the feedback line 81 is connected to the input line of the second stage. Similarly when this switch is in its third position, the first two stages are both eliminated or by-passed and the feedback line 81 is connected to the input line of the third stage 23c. Since each of the stages of the column selecting counter 23 controls the printing on a different left hand column of the page, the successive by-passing of these stages by switch 19 automatically sets the left hand margin to be printed at the first, second, or third columns of the paper 14 as selectively established by the adjustment of the control knob 19.

In a similar manner, the right hand margin control knob 20 is connected to actuate a series of multiposition switches 90, 91, 92, 93 that are ganged together, and adjustment of knob 20 operates to selectively by-pass or disconnect the counter stages in sequence at the right hand columns to shift the margin. When the switch is in its first position, the output line from the last stage 23d is connected to the feedback line 81 to feedback a signal to an earlier stage and complete the ring counting chain at the far right margin. Similarly the first position of switch 91 connects the output line of stage 230 to the input line of the last stage 23d, and both switches 92 and 93 respectively connect the output lines from each of the preceding stages to the input line of the next stage; thus interconnecting all stages in the ring counter chain. When the right hand margin knob 20 is set to its second position, the output line of stage 230 is directly connected to the feedback line 81, thereby by-passing the last stage 23d and effectively eliminating it from the ring counter chain, thus shifting the right hand margin one column toward the left. Similarly, in its third position, the right hand margin control 20 disconnects both stages 23c and 23d from the ring counter chain and the output line of stage 2311 is connected to the feedback line 81. Consequently in the same manner as in controlling the left hand margin, the positioning of the right hand margin control 20 shifts the right hand margins by changing the stages of the column selecting counter 23.

It will be appreciated that the four stage column selecting counter 23 as shown in FIG. 3 permits the printing of only four columns on a sheet of paper whereas for most applications a considerably greater number of such stages will be required to print the desired number of columns on a sheet of paper. However regardless of the number of stages used, the manner of electronically adjusting the left and right hand margins by the multi-position switches 19 and 20 will be the same. Once these margin controls have been set, the column selecting ring counter circuit 23 automatically recycles through all stages of the ring counter that are still left in the circuit, and the bypassed or eliminated stages are effectively disconnected so that the apparatus prints only in the remaining columns established by the remaining connected stages in the ring counter.

The code 12 in FIG. 1 and code 40 in FIG. 2 are preferably digital codes of light and dark areas provided on the belt 10 that can be easily detected by photocell detectors. For a total of 50 letters, numbers, or other symbols on the belt 10, a six position or six bit binary code may be employed, requiring a total of six photocells in the detector 21 of FIG. 1 and a similar number for the detector 41 of FIG. 2. Other types of codes and detectors may, of course, be employed as is well known to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention useful as a tabulator or as a printer used in conjunction with a calculator or adding machine. In this embodiment, a plurality of endless tape type carrying belts 121, 122, and 123 are used rather than a single type belt 10 as in FIGS. 1 and 2, with these plural belts being disposed to traverse vertical columns on the paper instead of horizontally to traverse lines. The advantage of this vertical arrangement using separate type belts is that the printing on all columns of the paper may be performed either randomly or serially as desired.

For serial line printing, as in the earlier embodiments, a column selecting counter 126 is used and is stepped by pulses from the keyboard 133 in the same manner as earlier described to prime the induction coils 124 in each column in a serial or sequential order. Each of these type belts 121, 122 and 123 is provided with a separate code detector 125 that reads the codes on the belt (not shown in FIG. 5) corresponding to these symbols until the preselected symbol is detected and then operates its associated gate 127. At the preselected column, the corresponding stage of counter 126 also energizes this gate 127 whereupon the induction coil 124 is energized to print the symbol. The matrix and comparator circuits 132 operate in the same manner as previously described.

For randomly printing all of the columns, a separate matrix and comparator circuit 132 is required for each column, as shown, and the codes corresponding to the preselected symbols for all columns are simultaneously entered into all matrices by a multicolumn keyboard or by a coded record reader 133. The detectors 125 for each of the belts operate independently to detect the preselected symbol codes and through their associated matrices and comparator circuits 132, each energizes its associated induction coil 124 when the preselected symbol on that belt is properly positioned. In this manner, each of the belts 121, 122 and 123 independently prints its preselected symbol in random order when that symbol is properly positioned, as detected by the detector 125.

FIG. 5 illustrates a further modification of the invention for automatically operating a high speed printer by a coded input record 143. For serial printing operation, the coded input record 143 is fed to a storage program reader at a variable speed or step-by-step as synchronized with the printing of the symbols. Each selection of a symbol to be printed from the code 144 pulses a column selecting counter 146 in the same manner as previously described to prime the next induction coil 147 and also directs a code into the matrix 141 corresponding to that preselected symbol. When the preselected symbol appears on the moving type belt at the position of the detector 142, and the symbol is printed on the paper, a feedback signal is directed backwardly over line 148 leading from the energized induction coil 147 to the tape reader 140, and this feedback signal operates to advance the tape or other coded record 143 by one step to its next position for reading the next code.

To adapt the embodiment of FIG. 5 for parallel or random printing, the storage program reader 140 simultaneously detects the codes on the record 143 for the symbols in all columns and directs corresponding coded signals to a plurality of such matrices 41 (not shown), with one matrix for each column, thereby eliminating the need for column selecting counter 146. The feedback signals from all induction coils 147 are directed backwardly over lines 148 to advance the input record 143 after all columns in a line have been printed at random.

Although but preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, many variations may be made by those skilled in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, this invention is to be considered as being limited only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electronic printer for rapidly printing symbols in sequence along a line and including preselecting means being actuated in sequence for each symbol to be printed, electronic digital logic means energized by the preselecting means, and a printing actuator energized by the digital logic means, said digital logic means including a digital register responsive to impulses from said preselecting means for successively selecting different columns to be printed in a forward direction along said line, forward spacing means for energizing said digital register in a forward direction for each actuation to skip columns, backspacing means for energizing said digital register in a reverse direction to skip columns backwardly along said line for each actuation, and adjustable margin selecting means coupled to said digital register for adjusting the position of the beginning column of said line selected by said digital register and independently adjusting the position of the last column of said line selected by said digital register.

2. In an electronically controlled induction printing apparatus, a carrier supporting induction field responsive type that is constantly moving relatively to a fixed member to receive print, a series of induction actuators that are fixed relative to the path of said type carrier and selectively energizable to transversely displace induction type on said carrier to effect printing on said member, electronic means for detecting preselected type on said carrier referenced to a position on said member, and means energizing said actuators when said preselected type is synchronized in position With said member.

3. In the printing apparatus of claim 2, said electronic means including a stepping counter for serially priming said induction actuators to serially print said type in sequence.

4. In the printing apparatus of claim 3, said electronic means including gates to randomly energize said indication actuators to print said type in parallel.

5. In the printing apparatus of claim 3, said electronic means including electronic spacing means, electronic backspacing means, electronic margin regulating means, electronic recycling means, and electronic column indicating means.

6. In an electronic printer having plural symbols and an electrically energized actuator for printing preselected ones of said symbols, a symbol preselecting means, a backspace preselecting means, a forward space preselecting means, and a completely electronic logic circuit responsive to the symbol preselection means for energizing said actuator, said logic circuit including electronic means responsive to said backspace and forward space preselecting means for individually controlling the spacing and backspacing of said printing, said logic circuit including electronic means for individually setting the margins on the print receiving member.

7. In the printer of claim 6, said logic circuit including electronic means responsive to the preselection means for controlling the advance of the print receiving member for line shifting.

8. In the printer of claim 6, said logic circuit including indicator means for selectively indicating each position on the member to be printed.

9. A manually operated printer comprising:

a keyboard having plural individually operable preselecting means, each generating a code of impulses coresponding to each symbol preselected,

a printing means,

and a digital electronic logic circuit responsive to each code of impulses for actuating said printing means to sequentially print each preselected symbol in succeeding columns,

said manual keyboard having individually operable backspace preselection means, individually operable forward space preselection means, and individually adjustable margin selecting means,

each of said backspace means and forward space means being electrically coupled to said digital logic circuit for electronically controlling said printing means to respectively skip columns in the backward and forward direction for each actuation of said backspace and forward space means,

and said margin selecting means coupled to said logic circuit for electrically controlling the beginning and ending margins of the columns to be printed according to the adjustments of said margin selecting means.

10. In the printer of claim 9, the addition of electrical visual indicating means electrically coupled to said digital logic circuit for selectively indicating each succeeding column to be printed.

11. An electronic printer having preselecting means for preselecting the symbols to be printed and forward and back spaces between symbols, printing means, and electronic digital logic means for responding to the preselecting means to actuate the printing means, said preselecting means generating a separate electrical impulse for each preselection of a symbol to be printed and for each preselection of a forward and backward space between symbols, said logic means including an electronic digital register energized by each of said separate symbol and forward space pulses to proceed in a forward direction and sequentially select the next succeeding spatial column to be printed, and said register energized by each of said backward space pulses to proceed in a backward direction and sequentially select the preceding spatial column to be printed.

12. In the printer of claim 11, said printing means comprising a moveable type carrier containing a series of electrically conductive nonmagnetic symbols supported thereon, and including an actuator having a magnetic induction field producing means spaced from said carrier and being enengizeable to actuate said electrically conductive symbols by magnetically inducing a reacting circulating current therein.

13. In the printer of claim 11, said electronic digital register including an endless multistage pulse counter, and adjustable margin control means for selectively bypassing a stage at one end of the counter for setting one of the margins, and adjustably by-passing a stage at the other end of the counter for setting the other margin.

14. In the electronic printer of claim 11, adjustable margin selecting means coupled to said digital shift register and being presettable to adjustably vary the initial beginning column selected by the shift register and independently presettable to adjustably vary the ending column selected by the register.

15. In the apparatus of claim 11, an electronic indicator means energized by the electronic logic means to indicate the column next to receive printing.

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